§ 14-208.5. Purpose.
Article27A.
Sex Offender and PublicProtection Registration Programs.
Part 1. Registration Programs,Purpose and Definitions Generally.
§ 14‑208.5. Purpose.
The General Assemblyrecognizes that sex offenders often pose a high risk of engaging in sex offenseseven after being released from incarceration or commitment and that protectionof the public from sex offenders is of paramount governmental interest.
The General Assembly alsorecognizes that persons who commit certain other types of offenses againstminors, such as kidnapping, pose significant and unacceptable threats to thepublic safety and welfare of the children in this State and that the protectionof those children is of great governmental interest. Further, the GeneralAssembly recognizes that law enforcement officers' efforts to protectcommunities, conduct investigations, and quickly apprehend offenders who commitsex offenses or certain offenses against minors are impaired by the lack ofinformation available to law enforcement agencies about convicted offenders wholive within the agency's jurisdiction. Release of information about theseoffenders will further the governmental interests of public safety so long asthe information released is rationally related to the furtherance of those goals.
Therefore, it is the purposeof this Article to assist law enforcement agencies' efforts to protectcommunities by requiring persons who are convicted of sex offenses or ofcertain other offenses committed against minors to register with law enforcementagencies, to require the exchange of relevant information about those offendersamong law enforcement agencies, and to authorize the access to necessary andrelevant information about those offenders to others as provided in thisArticle. (1995, c. 545, s. 1; 1997‑516, s. 1.)